Dental Implants – Cocoa Beach, FL

Initial Dental Implant Consultation

The first step when it comes to getting dental implants is to attend a consultation with us. During this time, we will examine your smile and surrounding facial structures. This will allow us to determine whether or not dental implants are an ideal option for you, as well as where and how the implants should be placed. Some people need to undergo preliminary treatments before they can get dental implants. This includes bone grafting, gum disease treatment, and tooth extractions. Once these treatments are complete, we can move on to planning the rest of your implant treatment. We’d be happy to walk you through the process, timeline, and cost.

Dental Implants Surgery

Dental implant placement surgery is relatively straightforward. After we numb your mouth with a local anesthetic, a small incision will be made into the gum tissue to access your jawbone. The implants will then be placed at precise locations and angles. Lastly, your gums will be closed, and protective caps will be placed over the dental implant posts to keep them safe during the healing process.

Dental Implant Osseointegration & Abutment Placement

Over the next 3 to 6 months, the fusion process will begin to take place between the implant and jawbone. This process is called “osseointegration.” This allows for your implants to have a sturdy foundation so that your replacement teeth will stay firmly in place. Once this process has been completed, we can place a metal abutment on top of your implant.

Delivery of Dental Implant Restorations

A few weeks after your abutment has been placed, your restoration should be ready to go. You can return to our practice where you will receive your new crown, bridge, or denture (depending on the number of teeth you are having replaced.) At this point, we will make sure that your bite is comfortable, and you will be sent on your way to enjoy the benefits of your new and improved smile!

Day-to-Day Benefits

People who wear traditional dentures often feel that their prosthetic limits their ability to live life to the fullest. If you also feel that way, you’ll be happy to know that the day-to-day benefits of dental implants in Cocoa Beach can solve many of the issues that dentures present. For example, dental implants allow you to:

• Eat most foods – While dentures often slip around and make eating certain foods problematic, dental implants restore most of the biting and chewing force you had before tooth loss. You should be able to enjoy practically anything on your plate with ease.
• Speak clearly – Conventional dentures can slip around in the mouth, especially if they don’t fit correctly. Since your dental implant restorations will be secured onto posts that are embedded in your jaw, you can trust your new teeth to remain firmly in place at all times.
• Smile confidently – The replacement teeth that we place atop your implants are custom-made to complement your facial features, ensuring a seamless appearance.
• Maintain easy oral hygiene – You won’t have to learn a complicated cleaning routine as you would with dentures. Dental implants can be maintained with the same brushing and flossing techniques that you would use with natural teeth.

Health Benefits

Dental implants do so much more than improve your everyday life. They also improve your health by:

• Preserving your jawbone – Dental implants stimulate your jaw to prevent the bone loss that begins to occur after teeth go missing. A strong jawbone greatly reduces your risk of further tooth loss.
• Protecting your remaining teeth – Placing a regular dental bridge requires your implant dentist in Cocoa Beach to permanently shave down some enamel from the teeth on either end of the gap. Over time, supporting a bridge can leave these teeth weaker and more susceptible to sensitivity, breakage, and cavities. Dental implants are completely self-reliant, so you can retain more of your natural tooth structure.
• Lowering your risk for systemic illnesses – Studies point to a link between tooth loss and multiple health concerns, such as heart attack, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Because dental implants function exactly like real teeth, there’s reason to believe that they reduce these risks.

Long-Term Benefits  

If you take good care of your implants, there’s a 95% chance that they could last for more than a decade. In fact, they could even last for a lifetime! Because of their impressive lifespan and success rate, dental implants might actually save you money over time. Although they cost more upfront than a denture or bridge, they won’t need to be replaced as often. Not to mention, you won’t have to purchase specialized maintenance products on a regular basis.

Additionally, dental implants can help you look younger. When the jawbone deteriorates after tooth loss, it causes the face to take on a wrinkled, sagging appearance, but dental implants can prevent this. You’ll be able to enjoy a youthful, vibrant glow for years to come! 

Who is a Good Candidate for Dental Implants?

You need to be in good overall health to get dental implants. Specifically, your body needs to be healthy enough to heal successfully after a minor surgical procedure; proper recovery is essential for allowing the implants to join with the jawbone. Preexisting gum disease and cavities will need to be treated before implant placement, as they could eventually lead to implant failure. If bone loss has occurred, we may recommend bone grafts so that there’s enough bone density for osseointegration to take place later.

Missing One Tooth

A single dental implant post will be placed in the gap. Once the mouth has healed, a dental crown will be attached to the implant post. This method has several advantages over a traditional dental bridge. For one thing, it’s much sturdier and will last much longer. Also, the implant can be placed without making any changes to your remaining natural teeth. Don’t worry about the new tooth standing out; not only with the implant post be hidden under the gums, but the crown will match the size, shape, and shade of your natural teeth, so it will look like your smile never needed repairs to begin with.

Missing Multiple Teeth

An implant bridge can be used if three or more teeth in a row are missing. Only two dental implant posts are required – one for each crown at the ends of the bridge. The gap between the crowns will be filled by an appropriate number of prosthetic teeth. Of course, there are cases where the missing teeth were in different areas of the mouth; in order to fill such gaps, a partial denture supported by dental implants might be used instead. The exact number of implants used to support a partial denture depends on where the gaps are located and how many there are.

Missing All Teeth

Once you’ve lost most or all of your teeth, full dentures are the most viable option for recompleting your smile. You can get 4 to 6 implants to support your new teeth so that they don’t slip or come loose while you’re chewing or trying to speak; the exact number of posts will vary, but we’ll go out of our way to use as few as possible. Dentures that are attached to implants feel very natural, and they don’t have to be removed at night; they can also be very easily brushed and flossed in the same manner as natural teeth.

Learn About Implant Supported Dentures

Preliminary Treatments & Dental Implant Surgery

Every smile is unique, which is why there isn’t a set fee for dental implants. After performing a thorough consultation, your implant dentist in Cocoa Beach, Dr. Nawrocki , will create a personalized strategy to replace your missing teeth. Based on the results of the examination, the fee for your new smile will include:

• Preliminary Treatments: You may require additional procedures to set the groundwork for your new teeth, like tooth extractions, periodontal therapy, or bone grafting.
• Dental Implant Surgery: We offer everything in-house. You won’t pay specialist fees to save both time and money.

Parts of Your Dental Implant

The price of your new smile also includes the cost of your dental implants. They are made from a variety of materials but don’t focus on the price tag. Discounted materials are often low quality, increasing the failure rate. You could end up paying much more in the long run. We’ll help you choose the best materials for each component of your dental implant to enjoy a long-term investment, which includes:

• Implant Posts: A titanium post is inserted into the jaw to serve as a new root. Depending on the number of teeth you’re replacing, the cost will increase per post.
• Abutments: Each implant needs a special fixture called an abutment to connect the restoration.
• Restoration: Your restoration is made of high-quality material to look natural.

Save Money Long-Term

Dental implants in Cocoa Beach are the most cost-effective treatment for tooth loss because they are proven to last for 30 years or longer with the proper aftercare, like maintaining your oral hygiene. You won’t need to have them replaced every few years like traditional methods.

Dental implants are also the only solution to preserve your jawbone’s density to stop dental drift. You’ll lessen your risk of preventable issues to lower your overall oral health expenses.

Does My Dental Insurance Cover Dental Implants?

Every policy differs, but most plans can offset the cost of certain steps in your treatment, like the consultation or restorations. Although it won’t pay the entire amount, your insurance can cover up to 80% of the cost until hitting your annual limit.

Keeping Dental Implants Affordable

We provide many options to keep a complete smile within your budget, including:

• Traditional Payment: We accept all forms of traditional payments, including cash, check, and credit cards.
• Loyalty Savings Plan: We provide a complete implant consultation with a 3D scan for a flat fee of $100.
• Third-Party Financing: We work with third-party financing to make monthly payments to keep your dental implants affordable.

Make Oral Hygiene a Priority

Dental implants are usually made from materials like porcelain or composite resin that can’t get cavities. That said, if you develop an infection below your gums that causes them to recede, they’ll leave your restoration without the support needed to remain firmly in place. You should brush and floss twice daily to keep it clean. This consistently removes plaque buildup and harmful bacteria that contribute to many common dental dilemmas.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Unlike alternative replacements like dental bridges or dentures, your implants are so firmly rooted that you don’t have to worry about as many dietary restrictions. That said, it’s better to steer clear of crunchy, hard, sticky, or sugary foods that can potentially cause some damage. With so much of your chewing ability restored, you can fill your plate with wholesome options that support your oral health. For instance, dairy products have calcium to support strong teeth and bones, and citrus fruits with vitamin C keep your gums healthy.

Break Bad Habits

If you regularly smoke, vape, or chew tobacco, there’s no better time than now to consider quitting. These products contain nicotine, which is known to reduce blood flow and oxygen levels. That means your body can’t deliver essential nutrients to your mouth to recover, and your dental implant is likelier to fail. You might think you’re okay to quit temporarily and then resume smoking once it has fully healed, but unfortunately, this habit can cause failure even years after its successful integration.

Protect Your Dental Implants

Those who participate in martial arts or high-contact sports are at an increased risk of injury. One blow to the face could loosen your teeth and implants or knock them out altogether. Our team can provide a custom-fitted mouthguard to safeguard your smile and prevent this.

Also, if you suffer from bruxism (chronic teeth grinding) while you sleep, we can give you a nightguard to protect your teeth. Otherwise, the added pressure applied by constant clenching can chip or break them.

Schedule Regular Dental Checkups

You may feel tempted to skip regular checkups if there are no pressing problems, but doing so could harm your oral health. Scheduling a routine visit every 6 months allows our team to monitor your dental condition and catch any potential issues early enough to address them before they can progress.

What to Do Directly After Dental Implant Surgery

The only thing you may want to do after your dental implant surgery is to go home and rest. Here’s a bit of good news…that is exactly what you should do! It will take some time for the anesthesia to wear off, so allowing your body to rest should be the only thing on your mind during this time.

Once you begin to notice that the anesthesia is wearing off, make sure to take an over-the-counter pain reliever or your prescribed medication (if provided by your implant dentist in Cocoa Beach). This will prevent you from feeling increased soreness if you can get ahead of the discomfort before your anesthesia fully wears off.

Also, you will want to abstain from smoking for at least 24 hours, but don’t be surprised if your dentist reiterates the importance of quitting altogether because of the potential risk of dental implant failure.

Common Side Effects

You may realize that soreness is a common side effect after any type of oral surgery, but you may not realize others might seem surprising but are actually completely normal. Slight bleeding and swelling are both common after dental implant placement, so do not be alarmed. If after several days or up to one week you are not noticing a dramatic difference in your pain level, inflammation, or bleeding, contact our office right away.

Diet

The initial timeframe following your dental implant surgery should involve a liquid diet. But once you begin to experience less soreness, you can start incorporating soft foods into your diet. Some of the best options include:

• Pasta
• Scrambled eggs
• Yogurt
• Ice cream
• Pudding
• Warm soups
• Mashed potatoes

You will want to remain on this soft food diet for much of your recovery, as it allows your bone and gums to fully heal without any unnecessary pressure potentially impacting your implants’ ability to fuse.

Health & Oral Hygiene

The day you come home from your surgery, you’ll want to avoid cleaning your teeth. However, the next day, you can resume brushing and flossing as normal, but you’ll need to be extremely careful when brushing near your surgical sites.

Applying too much pressure can irritate these areas accidentally cause problems with osseointegration.

You’ll also want to rinse with warm salt water 2-3 times each day and avoid mouthwash that contains any alcohol.

What to Do After Your New Teeth Are Attached

Once your new teeth are firmly in place, you should not experience any soreness, swelling, or bleeding. You might have some slight sensitivity, but this should dissipate within a few days. You can now begin to embrace all the many benefits these prosthetics have to offer and start living a fuller, more enjoyable life with your dental implants in Cocoa Beach.